Reading together in public on Pitkin Plaza, Brooklyn

Today, the Uni returned to Brownsville, Brooklyn, to create a open-air reading room for hundreds of kids and families. Thank you to our partner, Pitkin Avenue BID, and some terrific local volunteers who helped with the installation. I was there solo today—part driver, part loader, part librarian—so the community effort was deeply appreciated. Photos below. Looking forward to bringing the Uni back to Brownsville in our 2014 season. Read on, Brownsville!

Arrive early. Set up on a nice quiet side of the plaza. Textbook Uni.

Took time to meet folks on the plaza—they’ll be handing out apples and candy later. But where are the kids?

A volunteer said they had prepared 400 candy bags. I looked down Pitkin Ave, and saw a parade of kids and families led by a NYPD escort and marching band…

(There are no photos of what happened next because I had my hands full with a librarian anxiety dream—hundreds of ecstatic kids in trick-or-treat mode sprinting towards the Uni, which stood like a beacon at the far end of the plaza. Thank you to DJ Killer, who jumped on the mic and clarified that the books were for reading on the plaza, not to take home. We then settled into a nice reading room mode for the rest of the day. Whew!)

This future librarian came up to me and said “can I help you?” Fist bump and we got to work, shelving books and reading to kids together. Thanks man.

The Uni was the last to leave the plaza. Thanks Brownsville, keep on, and see you in 2014.